Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 14 May 2014
207. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health the extent to which he and his Department have curtailed expenditure overruns throughout the service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21785/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Revised Estimate for 2014 for the Health group of Votes provides for gross expenditure of €13.164 billion comprising €12.774 billion in current expenditure and €390m in capital expenditure. 2014 will be another extremely challenging year for the health services. Significant cost extraction is required with €619m in savings to be achieved. In Net Vote terms, the April Returns indicate a cumulative deficit of €89m.
There is ongoing and intensive engagement each month between officials of my Department, DPER and the HSE in the context of regular monitoring of expenditure. The HSE's Performance Assurance Report and the more detailed Management Data Report are published monthly on the HSE's website - www.hse.ie - and provide an overall analysis of key performance data from Finance, HR, Hospital and Primary & Community Services.
The HSE is pro-actively engaged in internal efforts to maximise savings and cost containment plans and to ensure that additional measures are identified and safely implemented to mitigate any projected deficits which are within HSE direct control, while engaging on an ongoing basis with my Department. The HSE will continue to engage with the acute hospital sector in relation to the 2014 savings measures and cost containment initiatives.
